System and method for providing contact information of an out of area mobile device to a reverse 911 database

• US 8,824,999 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ray, Amar N., Chakravarthy, Cadathur V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Akonai, Olumide T Ajibade
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLIDAY, JAIME MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US14/026,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20140018032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/59, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/00 Network data management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A system and method for registering the contact information of mobile devices with a service 911 service is presented. In one embodiment, a mobile switching center receives the contact information of a mobile device. If the mobile switching center determines that the mobile device is not located within a particular wireless sub-network, such as, but not limited to, a wireless sub-network associated with an area code registered to the mobile device, the mobile switching center generates a reverse 911 registration text message and transmits the reverse 911 registration text message to the mobile device. A user of the mobile device may then transmit the reverse 911 registration text message to a local reverse 911 database to have the contact information associated with the mobile device added to the local reverse 911 database.

Claims

1. A method for providing contact information associated with an out of area mobile device to a reverse 911 database, the method comprising:

receiving the contact information associated with a mobile device at a mobile switching center;

determining whether the mobile device is within a particular wireless sub-network;

responsive to the mobile device not being within the particular wireless sub-network, generating a first text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database, said first text message including the contact information of the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device includes at least one of a mobile directory number, a mobile identification number, or a network-dialable number, each of which is associated with the mobile device; and

transmitting the first text message to the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device is added to the reverse 911 database in response to the reverse 911 database receiving a second text message from the mobile device, the second text message including a registration text message generated in response to receiving the first text message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a local reverse 911 database contact information for communicating with the local reverse 911 database; and

incorporating the local reverse 911 database contact information in the first text message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the local reverse 911 database contact information comprises determining an IP address of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the second text message to the local reverse 911 database over an IP-based packet switching network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the local reverse 911 database contact information comprises determining a mobile directory number of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the second text message to the local reverse 911 database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the contact information associated with the mobile device at the mobile switching center comprises acquiring a mobile directory number of the mobile device and an identifier associated with a base transceiver station communicating with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the mobile device is within the particular wireless sub-network comprises determining whether the mobile device is within a wireless sub-network of an area code associated with the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising responsive to the mobile device being within the particular wireless sub-network, terminating the method.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the second text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database includes incorporating a predefined text message, the contact information of the mobile device, and the local reverse 911 database contact information into the second text message.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically displaying at least one of the first text message or the second text message on a display of the mobile device in response to the mobile device receiving the first text message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting at least one of the first text message or the second text message in response to the user not responding to the first text message within a specified period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first text message includes a request for additional user provided information.

12. A method for providing contact information associated with a mobile device to a reverse 911 database, the method comprising:

determining whether a mobile device is within a particular wireless sub-network;

responsive to the mobile device not being within the particular wireless sub-network, generating a first text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database, said first text message including the contact information of the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device includes at least one of a mobile directory number, a mobile identification number, or a network-dialable number, each of which is associated with the mobile device;

receiving, by the mobile device, the first text message that includes the contact information associated with the mobile device and a calling number of a local reverse 911 database;

transmitting a second text message to the local reverse 911 database, in response to a user initiated send command to add the contact information associated with the mobile device to the local reverse 911 database, the second text message including a registration text message generated in response to receiving the first text message; and

receiving reverse 911 alert messages that are sent using the local reverse 911 database.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, from a user of the mobile device, additional information to add to the second text message prior to the user initiated send command.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving an acknowledgement that the contact information associated with the mobile device was successfully added to the local reverse 911 database.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the user initiated send command within a specified time period.

16. A data processing system comprising:

a memory in communication with a processing unit, the memory containing computer usable program code; and

the processing unit operable to execute the computer usable program code to;

receive the contact information associated with a mobile device at a mobile switching center;

determine whether the mobile device is within a particular wireless sub-network;

generate a first text message for providing the contact information of the mobile device to the reverse 911 database in response to the mobile device not being within the particular wireless sub-network, said first text message including the contact information of the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device includes at least one of a mobile directory number, a mobile identification number, or a network-dialable number, each of which is associated with the mobile device; and

transmit the first text message to the mobile device, wherein the contact information associated with the mobile device is added to the reverse 911 database in response to the reverse 911 database receiving a second text message from the mobile device, the second text message including a registration text message generated in response to receiving the first text message.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to:

determine a local reverse 911 database contact information for communicating with the local reverse 911 database; and

incorporate the local reverse 911 database contact information in the first text message.

18. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine a mobile directory number of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the second text message to the local reverse 911 database.

19. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine an IP address of the local reverse 911 database for transmitting the second text message to the local reverse 911 database over an IP-based packet switching network.

20. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to determine whether the mobile device is within a wireless sub-network of an area code associated with the mobile device.